Hilarious video shows how 'iPad' parents are raising their baby without a screen addiction

Many millennial and Gen Z parents have a specific agenda on their parenting list—to avoid screentime for kids. Having had a dose of devices themselves and understanding how easy it can be to get addicted to the same, many parents are opting out of screen time. However, this is easier said than done. For many who grew up watching on their iPads and phones, it is a challenging task to spend time without a screen. A mom, Aliyah Norales (@thealiyahnorales), revealed that she too is part of the generation making rules and attempts to zero screen addiction for her children. Her alternative is a rather hysterical one. 

The video captures the parents doing their own thing in their free time. Both appear to be holding a book and engrossed in reading the same. However, a few seconds later, they slyly turn the book a little to reveal an iPad comfortably placed inside the book. With the book acting as a camouflage, babies will naturally believe that their parents love reading and will pick up on the same through observation and mimicking. “iPad kids trying to raise a baby without a screen addiction,” the mom wrote in the text overlay of her video. She also revealed that as a result, her baby is engrossed when it comes to books and even though unable to read by herself, is pretty much engaged with the pages, binding, etc. 

In the caption, the mom wrote, “She's probably like, 'Wow, my parents really love reading.' We are not anti-screen time, but definitely low screen time, so this is our little hack—and she loves books already, so it's working." Norales noted that her generation saw an addiction to phones and devices with the rise of social media at the time, per Newsweek. This pushed them to become what they call “iPad” parents. "We grew up with technology being integrated into our lives at an early age, especially with the rise of social media. We do find ourselves a little addicted to our phones sometimes—even if we don't want to admit it!"

The mom added that she made the deliberate decision to not give her baby an iPad yet. “Our goal is to delay it as much as possible. Since screens are already a big part of daily life, we want to be intentional about setting healthy boundaries—especially at this stage, when her brain development is so crucial,” she noted. She mentioned that screentime doesn’t have to be “default,” and can have a secondary position somewhere later in her daughter’s life. In the meantime, they rather she “engage with the world around her and learn how to be present.” 

"Our goal is to help her develop creativity, patience and the ability to be bored without always reaching for a screen. We believe boredom is essential for imagination and learning, and we want her to prioritize human connection over digital entertainment,” the mom noted. Many parents agreed and related to this technique on a hysterical level. @madsonn410 said, “Stop, this is so smart. My 8-month-old already wants the phone because he sees me on it.” @kittystyle101 added, “That’s such a good idea because my kid is already clocking me on my phone so much.”

You can follow Aliyah Norales (@thealiyahnorales) on TikTok for more content on parenting.